‘Warrior gene’ link to violent crime

Up to one in 10 people who commit a violent crime possess two genes which make them more disposed to inclined to exhibit repeated vicious behaviour.

Scientists in Sweden think having MAOA and CDH13 genotypes in a person’s DNA could make them up to 13 times more likely to exhibit repeated violent behaviour. Karolinska Institute scientists studied the genetic make-up of almost 900 criminals in Finland. They found in developed countries, the majority of all violent crime is committed by a small group of “anti-social recidivistic offenders”.

“Our results, from two independent cohorts of Finnish prisoners, revealed that a monoamine oxidase A [MAOA] low-activity genotype as well as the CDH13 gene are associated with extremely violent behaviour, at least 10 committed homicides, attempted homicides or batteries,” the researchers wrote in the Molecular Psychiatry journal.